Thanks Silly Girl, I'd never heard that before (or their last album) -- fun song. Thanks Ahhh Girl, but no that's not the interview I was thinking of -- probably the same time period. That guy isn't Tom Snyder, and the interview was by satellite, so Tom wasn't in the studio with Paul and Linda. I've searched but can't find it yet...

I got another ***** (that's five stars, not an expletive) review on Amazon.com! Not sure if it's by anyone here, but thanks to aussie mark if you're reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Fascinating Perspective on a Familiar Story
By aussie mark on December 17, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

This is a well written and engaging look at the Beatles and their drug use. It follows the group through their different stages as they apparently changed in reflection of the particular drugs they were taking - speed pills and booze, to pot, to LSD and heroin - and back again. The author runs the Beatles Bible web-site and this book gathers material from there as well as augments it with non-song related details and stories as well. Clearly it has been well researched. There is a nice balance between describing the positive effects each drug has - whether it helps to keep the band playing through long nights in Hamburg, or bonding the band members together on higher planes to inspiring a year of psychedelic rock - before it then shows the inevitable crash as the drugs destroy egos, relationships and eventually the Beatles as an entity. There are amusing anecdotes and dark reflections on the impact drugs had on each of the band members. The explanations as to how songs were written about particular drugs or trips indicate how large a lyrical topic drugs were for the Beatles. The lay-out of the book suits reading it section by section, but the stories tell a familiar tale in a new light which makes the book difficult to close without reading just one more section. An excellent first up effort by the author on what is clearly a labour of love.

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Great read, The beatles come out cut down to size as people (we still love them, and the talent and artistry remain). The book also goes into the chemical and historical genesis of the substances they did not as much as take, but gulped down, especially John and George. by 63, they were simply not the nice and preppy boys Brian Epstein, the medias and the record companies clothed and painted them as being. Speed, pills and alcohol were already part of their daily lives, in generous portions, from the Hamburg and cavern days. A must for anyone who loves pop music, rock, and not just the Beatles, and wants to appraise how the idealism of the sixties youth was both arguably fueled but also derailed finally, by drugs , in no small measure.

If, like me, you’ve read the Beatles books and watched the documentaries, you’ll probably feel that you (kind of) know them. You heard about the drugs. But did you realise quite how much time they spent ‘out of it’? According to this comprehensive account, a lot!

Having been a working guitarist for over 40 years, I have to say that the drug stories told here ring true, but the crucial factor is that the Beatles became hugely famous and their drug use public knowledge. Does fame bring with it moral responsibilities? Is Sgt Pepper—being possibly the most creative album ever made—the most potent advertisement for mind-expanding drugs that has ever been, and maybe ever will be? Viewed in this light, the book becomes not only valid, but also thought-provoking.

On a lighter note, Riding So High is largely well written—the prose seemed to me to pick up along with the rise in the Beatles’ fame. There were anecdotes I’d not come across before, and illuminating new details on the familiar ones. Feel like you know the story? You’ll have a broader picture after reading this.

Congratulations once again @Joe. It's a great read. That story about Lennon going up on the roof while tripping, and Paul and George having to go up and get him down always makes me chuckle. I love this book!

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"We were a really tight little band. We were just little rockers" - Sir Paul McCartney

11 January 20187.28am

The Hippie Chick

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Just finished it, @Joe ! Excellent read. Five Apples!

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“She wasn't doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.” - J.D. Salinger

11 January 20187.45am

DrBeatle

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I finished the book and loved it! I'm working on writing up the review for my website (work has been insanely busy and kept me from finishing it) but I'm getting there!

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"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"

Just a couple of corrections to your review, Drew. John wasn't the only Beatle to use heroin – Paul did before him, as mentioned in the book, though Lennon was the only one to get a habit. I think that's a distinction worth making. And you say that cocaine and heroin were the final two chapters, but there were five after that! But with a 10/10 rating I'll let it go. Thank you so much!

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